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John Paul Jones and Acoustic 360
- Thread starter mwhan
- Start date
Every Peavey amp I tried went out on me so no one use Peavey
(Easy Peavey guys, that was just my personal experience with them and bad luck).Your bad luck or improper repairs, I giged 3 to 4 times a week for 7 years with one then took it on a 5 month tour. Came back still running fine, even after drying out the amp with a hair dryer when rain got in the cab bottom.
I know that this is getting off-topic in a major way.....
But try a Baldwin Exterminator.....biggest piece of excrement I EVER played through!!!Now, to jump back on topic....
As I stated earlier, I have had the pleasure of speaking at length with George (the new President of Acoustic USA) and, aside from being a very pleasant gentleman to talk to, he also holds a wealth of information on Acoustic, i.e., it's history, models and, more importantly, the vision for the new company.
Frankly, I am excited about the company coming back. ANYTHING that is built in America, employs Americans and brings back a Standard is a welcome sight for these old eyes!
On the down side - it is taking a great deal of time, and I fear that the product is going to be extremely price restrictive for "most" bass players - by that I mean the "younger" guys; those who would probably benefit the most from these fine amps. Acoustic (back in the day) was never a cheap endeavor. They were expensive then, and they are going to be expensive now. However, with the amount of bass equipment available, it is going to be a stretch to believe that a ultra-high end amp (regardless of the manufacturer) will be successful in THIS economy....
But I AM pulling for them, in a big way!!!
I think the success of the new USA Acoustic stuff depends entirely on their ability to recreate their unique sound. I'm sorry, but I don't hear it in the current Acoustic stuff. It sounds good for budget gear, but it's never going to satisfy someone looking for the Acoustic sound. If they make a 360 rig that captures the sound everyone remembers, it'll sell.
Tons of class A/B solid state gear available today.
However, +1 to JimmyM. The old GK's and the old Acoustics have their own sound. I guess if that sound 'sounds good' to you, then that's the end of the discusion
We plan on covering the launch. I've been following it closely for over 5 years. Basically, this is Russ Allee's slight update on a classic. And for those not aware of Russ, we're planning a comprehensive story on him too. Suffice to say, most of the progress in bass amps today can be traced to Russ. And he had carte blanche to make the new USA Acoustic.
That's good that they brought back the right guy, Marty. Between Russ Allee and "Vetchking here" being in on it 
, I'm actually looking forward to it. Not that I have much interest in it...Ampeg and Acoustic don't mix 
but they are the two top names in bass amplification, and it'll be good to see Acoustic represent again.
, I'm actually looking forward to it. Not that I have much interest in it...Ampeg and Acoustic don't mix but they are the two top names in bass amplification, and it'll be good to see Acoustic represent again.That's good that they brought back the right guy, Marty. Between Russ Allee and "Vetchking here" being in on it
I agree. The new stuff is actually nice for low end stuff, but it will be nice to have a more high quality Acoustic offering for the 'classic rock guys' or whatever coming down the pike. Those amps were quite impressive for their time!
I admit to spending many nights memorizing the Acoustic catalogs in my youth. I was most into the 470 series stuff, but it all looked great. I did get a 140/106 which was my amp for a long time. A few years back, I was finally able to afford most of what I wanted (that was before the current recession!) and started scooping lotsa used stuff. That's how I met George and have been following his quest quite closely ever since.
+1 I still remember that beautiful catalog with the amazing looking but absolutely horrible sounding guitar amp (it was basically a 370 with two 15's and a huge horn) on the cover. That was when they had that strange multiple 6x9 loaded cab and all kind of strange stuff, but it all looked SO cool. That was cool stuff in the early 70's!
I'll tell you a product Acoustic made that was totally excellent...a late buddy of mine owned these two Acoustic PA columns that were similar to Shure Vocal Masters in looks but blew them away in tone. He got them in the early 70's and used them until he died.
Here comes small secret from me:
I was so crazy about Acoustic, that finally, friend of mine, electronic guy got somehow schematics of ACC 140. We got all elements and he hand-made a copy for me.
I got on different catalogs and pictures, pulled out dimensions and built little bit bigger (deeper) cabinet than 136 and I put in RCF speaker (75W) 15 inches.
That was my first amp.
That was back in 1977/78.
I was so crazy about Acoustic, that finally, friend of mine, electronic guy got somehow schematics of ACC 140. We got all elements and he hand-made a copy for me.
I got on different catalogs and pictures, pulled out dimensions and built little bit bigger (deeper) cabinet than 136 and I put in RCF speaker (75W) 15 inches.
That was my first amp.
That was back in 1977/78.
Anybody remember the lifetime warranty cards that you got from Acoustic when you brought this option. When i got my 370 from a local guy, he gave me this credit card type with the Acoustic lifetime warranty and said it was forever is this true ?
That company "Acoustic Control Corporation" went out of business a long long time ago. That warranty is no good anymore.
I own an old Acoustic 370 head and I contacted the new Acoustic Amplification and was informed that they do not even make any new parts or have any old parts for any of the vintage equipment.
I recently bought a new Acoustic B600H head and while it sounds clean and has tons of power and some newer electronic features that the 70's models did not have, it does not sound like my old 370 and they should have included some of the older features along with the new ones. Close but not quite the same. The first B600H I got had a power supply short circuit problem and I was given a new replacement and so far it is okay. The new Acoustic amps come with a 3 year warranty but that also includes a 2 year new replacement trade out warranty if it goes within 2 years, you get a brand new one. They also offer an additional warranty for a small fee that if it breaks within the timeframe, they will pay you back 100% of the original sale price.
My 370 is has been down for a while now, the volume pot shorted out, just needs to go to a repair shop, i think my Mutron pedal may have something to do with it ,back in my funk days
OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!
I've been waiting for this interview for sooooo long.
YOU GUYS RULE and your magazine KICKS ASS!!!!!
Cheers,
Duff2
If this hasn't already been said, JPJ's sound came from him, not from his gear. Having said that, I owned a few 360's back in the old days. I still own a GK 800RB, which sounds great with vintage Fender basses and would give a very authentic sound with the right bass and speakers. I would recommend 15's such as the old EVM-15B or Altec 421. The Acoustic 370 sounded nothing like the 360 IMO. I owned one and never liked it. I sold it and got another 360 -- much better.
